Traffic Noise Pollution： Spectra Characteristics and Windows Sound Insulation in Laboratory and Field Measurements

The traffic spectra influence on indoor noise through windows is evaluated with laboratory and field measurements. Different traffic noise spectra were registered and reproduced, simulating the outdoor traffic conditions through different windows. Spectrum adaptation terms for the recorded spectra were different from the ones obtained from the Standards, showing that Normative gives a safe evaluation of the Weighted Sound Insulation Index. In field measurements, the level abatements calculated from the Facade Acoustic Insulation Index corrected with the adaptation terms shows that the ones from the Standard do not give a good approximation, while if the level abatements is calculated using the adaptation terms from the registered spectra, a more reliable approximation is achieved. Furthermore, comparing the level abatements for two windows having both Rw equal to 41 dB, very different values were obtained at different frequencies; therefore to characterize acoustic performances of windows, sound insulation curves are also needed. The correlation between the mean difference between adaptation terms calculated from the standard and the one between abatements obtained with pink noise and the ones obtained with the registered spectra is good, but different for road traffic and trains. In both, the difference diminishes when the difference between the abatements increases.

Assessment of Traffic Noise Pollution in Burla Town,India;An InclusiveAnnoyance Study

Noise pollution is one of the major public health problems in urban areas throughout the world.Noise is unwanted sound which produces undesirable problems in day to day life of human being(e.g.,physiological and psychological problems).Rapid increase of the industrialization,urbanization,infrastructure,volume of motor vehicles,and increase in the road networks brought noise pollution to the highest level of disaster in a current situation.In urban areas,road traffic noise plays commanding role among all noise sources and affects the exposed inhabitants.The present work is done to evaluate and assess the traffic noise and its effects in Burla town.Burla,Vidyanagari of Odisha,is an emerging town in India,as it hosts national level of teaching and research institutions like IIM Sambalpur,a medical college-cum-hospital(VIMSAR),a technical university(VSSUT)and Sambalpur University.In last two decade,the road traffic volume has been increased and is facing severe noise pollution to its inhabitants.Noise pollution assessment was made at different locations of the town.This study unveiled the dismal state of noise pollution in the town.Noise contour maps were drawn to visualize the noise level at the traffic and its surroundings.The numbers of hearing impaired patients in different hospitals of the locality are increasing.That shows grim picture of the situation.Regression equations were established taking noise levels with percentage of highly annoyed people during study indicates strong correlation.

Appraisal of Urban Road Traffic Noise in tier-II City(Surat City),India

Urban road traffic noise pollution has always been identified as a severe problem that affects urban populants.In developing nation,road traffic noise pollution depends on the composition of heterogeneous traffic composition.These traffic compositions contain vehicles,which have different sizes,speeds variations,a different dimension of vehicles.Environmental noise measurements have been carried out during day-time and night-time in different locations of tier-II city of India.The noise levels have been continuously measured over 24 h periods using kimo DB 300 class-2 noise level meter.The data contained in this research paper represent 768 measurement hours.All the information has been used to investigate the time patterns of the noise levels under a wide range of different conditions and to study the relationships between noise levels and traffic in urban areas.Maximum LAeq was observed 73.3 dB(A)at B_(14) location and the minimum was recorded 65.7 dB(A)at C_(3) location,which was greater than the central pollution control board(CPCB)prescribed limits during night time.A major reason for the generation of road traffic noise is due to the equal composition of 2-wheeler and 4-wheeler on the arterial road and heavy vehicles were recorded during morning peak and evening peak even though they are prohibited during peak hours.

Association of Road Traffic Noise with Obesity and the Role of Meat Intake:A Prospective Study from UK Biobank

Emerging evidence has indicated the linkage of traffic noise with cardiovascular diseases,However,there’s a lack of extensive studies exploring the linkage of traffic noise with cardiometabolic risk factors such as obesity.Additionally,the role of diet in the associations remains unknown.The aim is to prospectively examine the linkage of road traffic noise with obesity,especially by focusing on evaluating the impact of meat.Participants recruited in the UK Biobank with at least one repeated measurement of obesity indicators including body mass index(BMI),waist circumference(WC),waist-to-hip ratio(WhR),and waist-to-height ratio(WhtR)were included.The Common Noise Assessment Methods of the simplified version were used to estimate road traffic noise exposure.Participants were categorized into“less meat intake”and“more meat intake”based on the median of meat intake,assessed by the frequency of unprocessed red meat and processed meat consumption.Modified Poisson regression models were employed to evaluate the linkage of road traffic noise with obesity.Additionally,the modification effects of meat intake on this relationship were evaluated.The incidence risk ratios(IRRs)and 95%confidence interval(CI)of overall obesity,WC-based central obesity,WhR-based central obesity,and WhtR-based central obesity were 1.11(1.02,1.21),1.09(1.03,1.14),1.06(1.02,1.10),and 1.08(1.02,1.13),respectively,for every 10 dB(A)increase for noise.Compared with individuals with lower meat intake,those with higher meat intake exhibited a stronger linkage of road traffic noise with central obesity.The prospective study demonstrates a linkage of road traffic noise with obesity,emphasizing the significance of diet on traffic noise-related obesity risk.

ANNOYANCE AND SPEECH INTERFERENCE OF IMPULSE AND TRAFFIC NOISE

By using the modernly developed techniques of possibility and set-valued statistics, this paper determined the thresholds of various categories of noise annoyance and defined the dose-response relation between the levels of noise and their annoyance. Three factors controlled in the experiment were types of noise: impulse and traffic; level of noise: 5Leq from 45 - 85 dB (A); and performance task: with and without speech recognition. Noise interference with speech recognition was measured with the SDT method. Our ex-perimental results showed that Leq of impulse noise should be higher than that of traffic noise to get equal annoyance; the speech recognition task might lighten the experience of annoyance; the higher the level of noise, the more its interference with the speech recognition, that is. the less the value of d '.

Effects of traffic noise on pupils'behavior in classroom

Noise surveys in this country reported that a large number of classrooms in primary and secondary schools in the urban areas were disturbed by environmental noise, particularly by traffic noise. A series of psychological tests were conducted to identify pupils' behavior in a classroom under different noise levels within the range of 40 to 70 dBA. Statistical analysis results were obtained by using Relational Data Analysis System (RDAS) software. According to the t-test and single factor variance analysis of the results, significant differences of the pupils' behavior in the classroom have been observed when the percentile exceeded sound level either L50 exceeds 50 dBA or L10 exceeds 55 dBA, or the equivalent continuous sound level Leq exceeds 50 dBA. The same conclusion has been drawn from the average percentages of syllable articulation under different noise levels in a classroom which were the results of tests made in accordance with the procedure described in the National Standard. The maximum acceptable noise level in the classroom thus can be determined.

Changes in call properties of Boana pulchella (Anura, Hylidae) in response to different noise conditions

The increasing expansion of urban areas leads to the emergence of new noisy environments that can affect animal communication.Calls play a crucial role in the mating displays of anurans,and the negative impact of anthropogenic noise-induced auditory masking has been reported in several species.We investigated the acoustic variation in 96 males(n=971 calls)of the treefrog Boana pulchella across acoustically undis-turbed sites and different noise conditions,associated with urban areas(URBAN)and roads(ROAD),in Central Argentina.We analyzed the effect of anthropogenic noise conditions on 6 temporal(call duration[CD],intercall interval,first and second note duration,internote interval,and call rate)and 3 spectral(dominant frequency of first and second note,frequency difference between them)call properties.The effects of temperature and size on acoustical variables were controlled.We observed differences in all call attributes among the noise conditions,except for intercall interval.Males exposed to URBAN and ROAD exhibited significant changes in CD,dominant frequency of the second note,and fre-quency difference between them.URBAN males had longest internote interval,while ROAD individuals displayed increased first and second note duration and call rates.Interestingly,ROAD males exhibited immediate changes in call rate in direct response to passing heavy vehicles.Our study emphasizes the impact of anthropogenic noise on the acoustic characteristics of B.pulchella calls.Understanding how animals adapt to noisy environments is crucial in mitigating the adverse effects of urbanization on their communication systems.Future investigations should explore whether the observed call adjustments are effective in avoiding or mitigating the negative consequences of anthropogenic noise on reproductive success.

Evaluating Market Benefits of Transportation Tunnels—The Carmel Tunnels as a Case Study

Since opening in 2010, The Carmel Tunnels have redirected some of the traffic from within the City of Haifa in Israel. This paper studies the direct and indirect financial and environmental benefits of the Carmel Tunnels compared to alternative routes. Di-rect benefits for drivers include financial savings thanks to savings on time and gas. Indirect benefits for drivers and for the public include reduced air pollution, green-house gas emissions and noise. Results show significant positive benefits from using the Carmel Tunnels compared to various alternative routes (i.e., reference scenarios). During peak hours (8 am and 4 pm), when there is heavy traffic on the alternative routes, the total benefits increase by about 25% - 47%. Using tunnels for transportation allows, among other benefits, efficient use of underground land, redirecting traffic congestion from town centers, decreasing landscape damage due to major roads passing through open spaces, and reducing air pollution in residential areas.